The Lute in Britain

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The Lute in Britain: A History of the Instrument and Its Music by Matthew Spring

Review by: Gary R. Boye


Notes, Second Series, Vol. 59, No. 2 (Dec., 2002), pp. 357-359
Published by: Music Library Association
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Book Reviews 357

other instruments as well, especially for I must concede that whatever my particu-
flute" (p. 290). Another important reason lar differences of judgment or inclusion
for this practice is that, due to the difficulty with Haynes may be, this book is an out-
of playing the oboe, there was a far greater standing achievement and will provide an
number of amateur flutists and therefore a indispensable scholarly resource for many
greater audience for flute music than that years to come. His thorough coverage of
for oboe. For this very reason, music specif- oboe bands, solos, concertos, quartets, and
ically composed for the oboe was less likely obbligatos with voice for this period is unri-
to end up in print than that for violin or valed in the literature, and as such takes its
flute. William Babell's twenty-four sonatas place on bookshelves beside his invaluable
published by John Walsh in England oboe bibliography: Bruce Haynes, Music for
around 1725 (p. 351), for example, are in Oboe 1650 to 1800: A Bibliography, 2d ed.
keys and ranges ideal for the oboe, but the (Berkeley, Calif.: Fallen Leaf Press, 1992).
title page lists violin before the "hoboy"- His writing style is lively and frequently
and the flute is added as another possible witty. One reads with much enjoyment the
choice in the second book. The "proper speculations about the London "haut-
Graces adapted to each Adagio by ye boists" who played in Handel's orchestras
Author" were probably added by Babell fol- (Johann Ernst Galliard,John Loeillet,Jean
lowing their earlier life in manuscript as Christian Kytch, and Giuseppi Sammartini,
oboe sonatas, and likely conceived for the pp. 340-48, 437-43), or the Leipzig oboists
violin, an instrument he himself played Caspar Gleditsch and Gottfried Kornagel
(Charles Gower Price, "Free Ornamenta- for whom J. S. Bach's challenging oboe
tion in the Solo Sonatas of William Babell: parts were intended (pp. 364-67). Haynes
Defining a Personal Style of Improvised not only tells the story of the "hautboy" and
Embellishment," Early Music 29 [February its times, but he also brings it vividly to life.
2001]: 29-54). CHARLES GOWERPRICE
In the preface, Haynes states: "I freely in- WestChesterUniversityof Pennsylvania
dulge my own judgments on the quality of
the music I discuss; I believe there is, in the
end, no other way to discuss it (Apropos, I The Lute in Britain: A History of the
have not mentioned mediocre pieces in the Instrument and Its Music. By Matthew
repertory merely for the sake of complete- Spring. (Oxford Early Music Series.)
ness)" (p. xi). His often-colorful opinions Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.
about the literature run the gamut from [xvi, 536 p. ISBN 0-19-816620-6. $150.]
"superb" (Jacques Hotteterre, "le Romain," Music examples, illustrations, bibliog-
p. 290) to "insipid and formulaic" (John raphy, index.
Loeillet, i.e., Jean Baptiste Loeillet, of
London, p. 351). There are cases in which Monographs encompassing the history of
I concur with his judgments (Michel a given instrument have become something
Pignolet Monteclair's fourth Concert "con- of a rarity in contemporary scholarship.
tains much interesting and beautiful Affect More typical are collections of detailed es-
portrayal," p. 219), and others in which I says that treat a subject or related subjects
disagree (Babell's solos are "the woodwind from the viewpoints of several different
players' pale shadows of Corelli's famous scholars. These collections are of great
solos," p. 351). In the light of Haynes's ex- value for the particular topics discussed,
tensive discussion of J. S. Bach's "lost haut- but often lack the overall perspective and
boy repertoire" (pp. 387-95), many oboists sense of continuity of a monograph. In the
may wonder why the G-minor version of field of lute music, readers will encounter
the great B-minor flute sonata with obbli- an enormous body of research on Western
gato keyboard (BWV 1030b) merits no European sources in a variety of languages
mention beyond a number in a footnote dating back nearly a century and produced
(p. 387). Similarly, Jan Dismas Zelenka's by some of the best scholars in the field of
six virtuosic trios and quartets with oboes music. Yet, for practical purposes, there are
(or violin and oboe), basso continuo, and no single sources to which one can turn for
obbligato bassoon (ZWV 181) are likewise a thorough overview of the repertory. The
relegated to a mere passing footnote refer- specialized notation and technique of the
ence (p. 327). lute has also tended to marginalize its large

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358 NOTES, December 2002

and important body of music within gen- respectively. Even more importantly, the
eral history texts, especially since a great chapters on the lute in Britain have many
deal of the music is not yet available in references to continental developments in
modern transcription. Matthew Spring's addition to the British sources. While the
TheLute in Britain: A Historyof the Instrument focus remains clearly on Britain, Spring is
and Its Music will go a long way toward satis- able to give an evenhanded account of for-
fying the need for a thorough survey of lute eign influences in the music throughout.
music in at least one of its more important In these discussions it is also readily appar-
regional centers. ent that the author's experience as a
It was no small task to undertake a his- lutenist enables him to write in detail about
tory of the lute in Britain from the Middle changes in technique and musical style, and
Ages to the eighteenth century, for not one is especially grateful for the reproduc-
only is the size of the repertoire alone tion of so many music examples with fair
daunting, but many of the original sources copies of their original tablature as well as
are still difficult to obtain. Problems of modern transcriptions.
scope immediately arise: should the lute be The heart of the book covers the lute in
treated only as a solo instrument or should Britain in five main chapters including the
its important role in ensembles or as an ac- period up to 1500, the early and mid-
companying instrument be explored as Renaissance from 1500 to 1580, the
well? Even more crucially, how does one "Golden Age" from 1580 to 1625, the
treat the history of music in a single coun- Caroline and Commonwealth periods from
try while exploring the influence of foreign 1625 to 1660, and the decline of the lute
musicians and repertories? Too often in thereafter. The earlier chapters rely heavily
the past, nationalistic treatments of the on iconographic and literary references;
music of one country have tended to simply the later chapters, on musical examples
ignore or downplay foreign influence, leav- and lists. Particularly impressive is Spring's
ing a one-sided and sometimes even jingois- command of medieval literary sources men-
tic feel to the research. To complicate mat- tioning the lute, although his adherence to
ters, Spring was unable to fall back on an the original orthography might be a stum-
up-to-date source paralleling developments bling block to readers less experienced in
on the continent so crucial to the history of early English. Another small criticism is
the lute in Britain. (Douglas Alton Smith's that his use of iconographic sources is a bit
recently published A History of the Lutefrom narrowly focused on organological details
Antiquity to the Renaissance [Lexington, Va.: and sometimes lacks a sense of artistic con-
Lute Society of North America, 2002] may text. With the deft and intriguing social
now fill this gap.) There are other pitfalls connections he draws out of the literary
in lute scholarship, as the unique nature of sources, one might have expected a bit
the instrument and its notation have caused more from some iconographic sources
scholars unfamiliar with the instrument to than the number of strings or tuning pegs
miss or distort many important aspects of evident on the instrument. But overall,
music conceived for it. While it may not be Spring makes good use of what information
true that one has to play the lute to do re- has survived and when he arrives at a pe-
search on its music, scholars who choose to riod with abundant surviving musical
ignore technique entirely or work only sources beginning in 1580, his discussion is
from transcriptions do so at their peril. amazingly well-read and thought out. One
Spring confronts each of these potential feels here that we are finally reaching the
pitfalls directly and makes choices that stage of lute research where the author is as
greatly enhance the value of the book. familiar with the music from a performance
While dealing primarily with solo lute mu- perspective as are musicologists who write
sic, he incorporates separate chapters cover- about more "mainstream" composers from
ing the lute in consort (chap. 6) and the a later period-his comments about the dif-
lute in song accompaniment (chap. 8), as ficulty of a particular composer's or manu-
well as an additional discussion on the the- script's pieces are verifiable and one always
orbo (chap. 11). There are also two chapters senses that the sources have been thor-
entitled "A Continental Excursus" (chaps. 3 oughly studied with instrument in hand.
and 9) which deal with non-British sources While Spring's study of the "Golden
from 1480 to 1530 and from 1600 to 1650, Age" of British lute music is thorough and

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Book Reviews 359

exemplary-including some very useful lists With a text running to nearly 500 pages,
of printed books, manuscripts, and com- not including the bibliography and index,
parisons of contents-his discussion of the there are relatively few errors. The refer-
period from 1625 to the end of the century ence to table 5.2 on page 145 should be to
explores relatively lesser known composers table 7.2, however, and there are a few
and will be of interest to lutenists wishing problems in the tablature examples, pri-
to explore new repertory. A good working marily in rhythm. On page 163, the bottom
knowledge of seventeenth-century British staff of m. 54 has an incorrect rhythmic
history is assumed here, and certain read- symbol on the last beat; on page 250, the
ers might need to brush up a bit on the first rhythmic value in m. 2 of the tablature
English Civil War, the Commonwealth and should have two flags, not one; and on
Restoration, and other such topics to make page 252, the rhythmic sign is missing en-
full use of Spring's social and political dis- tirely from m. 3. These errors may have
cussion. The nearly consuming interest in originated in the original sources, but are
French lute music during this period of corrected in other examples. None of them
British history helps draw parallels between will throw a performer off for more than an
musicians there and on the continent, es- initial reading. Secondary sources are copi-
pecially in Italy, where lutenists and gui- ously footnoted throughout the text and
tarists were also absorbing French styles in one can be grateful to the publishers for
dance and music. It also explains why lute avoiding the annoying trend in recent
music from this period seems less "English" scholarly publications of using endnotes.
than earlier sources, although Spring does With its careful documentation and thor-
point out ways in which native composers ough index, the book should be a very use-
combined traditional British styles with the ful starting point for students exploring
dominant French aesthetic. The musical particular aspects of the repertory.
references here are excellent, although a This book will appeal not only to those
clearer example of the stile bris--too often who play lute or guitar or who study the
confused with simple arpeggiation by stu- history of either, but also to those inter-
dents and others unfamiliar with the lute ested in early music generally or in the his-
music of the period-would have enhanced tory of music in Britain or Scotland specifi-
the discussion. The book closes with an cally. Any library collection dealing with
even sketchier period of the lute's history: early music will need to acquire this land-
the lute in Scotland. Sources here are pri- mark text, where it is sure to be in great de-
marily from the French-dominated period mand. Unfortunately, its high price will be
of the seventeenth century, but also in- prohibitive to many individuals.
clude some early and very important ex-
amples of Scottish tunes that would figure GARYR. BOYE
more prominently in later centuries. AppalachianState University

DIVERSE TOPICS

Music as Concept and Practice in the Late Middle Ages. Edited by


Reinhard Strohm and BonnieJ. Blackburn. (The New Oxford History of
Music, 2d Edition. Vol. 3, Pt. 1.) New York: Oxford University Press,
2001. [xxxii, 460 p. ISBN 0-198-16205-7. $115.] Music examples, illustra-
tions, maps, bibliography, index.
The six volumes of the original Oxford of some of its earliest and most outdated
Historyof Music (1901-5), after their second volumes were being planned. The first
edition (1929-38), were eventually super- of these, a new version of volume 2, was
seded by the ten volumes of The New Oxford started in 1977 and published thirteen
History of Music (NOHM), a project that years later (The Early Middle Ages to 1300,
from inception to completion took about ed. Richard Crocker and David Hiley [New
half a century, with volumes appearing York: Oxford University Press, 1990]). The
every few years from 1954 to 1990. Even be- book under review here, intended at first as
fore completion of NOHM, new editions a direct replacement for volume 3 (Ars

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